Back to Back: A ZukoxKatara Fancic
by Dot P. King
Summary: This story takes place in correlation with Book 3, Chapter 16: The Southern Raiders. Zuko & Katara stop in a small town on their way back to the others to get supplies for the group. When the two master benders end up locked in a cellar together, will Zuko have the courage to confess his love to an oblivious Katara?
1. Chapter 1: Unwanted Attention

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters of Zuko, Katara, or Appa, or the bending, or anything else that has to do with the original show _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. Those are property of…I think Nickelodeon Studios. I only own the plot of the story, and any characters I make up [namely, Ketson and the Fire Hawks].**

**Chapter 1: Unwanted Attention**

The wind brushed through Katara's hair as she flew on Appa, and she closed her eyes in contentment. She had chosen to not kill the former raider Yon Rha as revenge for his killing her mother, and that decision left her with more peace inside her than she would have expected. She never could or would forgive him, but she now had the closure she had always wanted.

"What are you going to do now?" Zuko's voice came from just behind her, where he rested in Appa's saddle. His question only slightly surprised her. She had expected him to ask, but neither one of them had spoken for the past two hours, not since they left Yon Rah behind them, soaking in the pouring rain.

"I don't really know," She turned around and looked into his clear, golden eyes. The setting sun seemed to make them shine brighter than normal, not that she would ever notice or anything. "But I do know that I now have no reason or excuse to force my hate of him onto you. I'm sorry."

He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay, I'm just glad you could find your closure without having to kill him." She always noticed he was much more handsome when he smiled, but she pushed the thought from her mind and turned to face front again, letting his hand fall from her shoulder. It's not like he would ever even care about me in that way, she thought. Despite how she had always hated him, though, she had to admit he was pretty handsome, at least when his face wasn't twisted in anger or frustration like it used to always be.

They were quiet for a little while longer, then Katara remembered that they needed some more rice and rope and other supplies before returning to the others. "Hey, we need to stop and get some things before we go back. We're running low on food back at camp."

"Well okay, but where do you want to stop?" he asked, gesturing out in the direction they were moving. "We should do it soon, since we're camped in the middle of nowhere and there won't be as many islands as we get closer. Plus, it's getting dark, and we should land before shops close for the night."

"Yeah, there's an island over there that looks like it has a village or two on it," she pointed out towards their right, where lights could be seen glowing dimly in the fading daylight. "I thought maybe we could stop there."

"Alright." Zuko settled back into the saddle, but she somehow knew he was still keeping an eye on her. She wasn't sure why, but he'd been watching her since they left Yon Rha. He wasn't really looking at her, per se, like normal boys often look at normal girls, but more like he was keeping an eye on her.

A few moments later, Appa managed to touch down unnoticed on the island, about a mile or so from the nearest village. Katara and Zuko left him with promises to bring back a treat along with their other supplies.

They walked quickly to the town and began looking for shops that sold what they needed. There was certainly a variety of shops in the small town that sold a variety of wares, particularly seashell jewelry and dishes. However, most shops were already closing for the night, and ones that were still open didn't have the food they needed. "This is ridiculous!" Katara finally cried out in exasperation. "There's no way we'll find everything we need before nightfall, maybe we should split up."

"No. Bad idea. We don't want to do that." Zuko's eyes shifted each time he spoke, and Katara noticed he was shuffling his feet as well. He had been slightly fidgety practically since they entered the village, looking all around, not just at the shops.

She placed her hands on her hips. "Why not?" She couldn't figure out why he was so against it, or what was making him so restless.

"Haven't you noticed? We're being followed." Zuko jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, and Katara noticed for the first time that there was a trio of rough-looking boys about their age who were watching them closely.

"For how long?"

"It started a few minutes after we came in, just as it was starting to get dark. At first there was only one, but then he got some friends." So that was what he was watching, she realized.

Katara watched the three boys over Zuko's shoulder for a few seconds, then smirked. "We can take them."

"Are you sure? Look closer, each one has a strip of red cloth tied around his left bicep. And, including those three, I've seen at least a dozen guys in the market so far with the same red cloth, and many of them have been doing fire bending of some sort. I'd bet my fire bending that they're all members of a local gang, possibly solely of fire benders."

Katara looked at the boys again, Zuko had a point, and now that she was looking for them, a cursory glance around the market showed her that Zuko was right, and she wasn't sure that even the two of them could take on so many fire benders. But then she noticed something more.

"There's just one more problem, Zuko," Katara said, looking back at him.

"What?"

"They've got us surrounded."


	2. Chapter 2: Trapped!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters of Zuko, Katara, or Appa, or the bending, or anything else that has to do with the original show _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. Those are property of…I think Nickelodeon Studios. I only own the plot of the story, and any characters I make up [namely, Ketson and the Fire Hawks].**

Chapter 2: Trapped!

"They've got us surrounded."

"What do we do?" Katara asked. "I can't use my bending in the middle of a fire nation village, and you of all people certainly don't want to dray any attention."

"I'm not sure, but we should start with getting out of here. Maybe we can find somewhere else to hole up for the night, and then hit up another town in the morning for supplies before heading back to camp."

"Sounds like a plan to me," she replied. The pair turned around and started back for the front gate to the village. They didn't get far, though, before four guys stepped out from an alley and blocked their way. Each one had a strip of red cloth tied around their left bicep. Three of the boys stepped around them, one on each side of Zuko and the other a few feet behind Katara.

The tallest took a step toward Katara and leaned up against the wall on their right, crossing his arms. "Hey there, the name's Ketson. What's a beauty like you doing hanging out with a creep like him?" Ketson jabbed his thumb toward Zuko, who stood braced to fight the thugs on either side of him.

Katara glanced at Zuko, then turned and focused her attention on Ketson. "I really don't think that it's any of your business." Katara's right hand rested on the cork of her water pouch, she was prepared to fight them off if she had to. She and Zuko may have been out-numbered, but she was certain that they had the gang outmatched.

"Oh really?" Ketson's voice snapped her back to reality. "Well, I really do think you'd be better off with someone a little better looking, don't you? Maybe someone like the leader of the Fire Hawk Gang? I can do some pretty nifty tricks." He held up his hand palm-out, a tiny fire burned at each finger. He was a fire bender.

Now this jerk was really getting on her nerves. He was so cocky, so arrogant, so….so much like the way Zuko used to be. She glanced back at him again, at the way he was poised to fight, fully prepared to fight alongside her. A few months ago she would never have believed she'd ever be in a position to fight with Zuko, but here they were. She looked back at Ketson and could no longer stand the smirk on his face. She popped the cork off her water pouch and with a flick of her wrist, sent the water flying at his face. While he was still sputtering, Zuko shot fireballs at each of Ketson's lackeys, then grabbed her left hand and pulled her around the corner. Together they fled down the alley.

"Why are you all standing there like blithering hog-monkeys? Go after them! I want that water bender girl back here, now. Do what you want with the guy, I don't care." Ketson's voice reached them down the alley, and they looked back to see five or six guys following them down the alley.

"Where can we go?" Katara asked as she looked up into the darkening sky. "I'm stronger at night, so maybe we'll have a better chance of beating them now rather than hiding."

"Maybe so, but I'm weaker at night, just like them. Plus, they know you're a water bender now, so we've lost the element of surprise we had with Ketson." Katara nodded in agreement. By now both of them were panting, tired of running down alley after alley in the dim twilight.

They ducked down a smaller alley, only to find it was a dead end. A minute later, the group of Fire Hawks ran by, not noticing Zuko and Katara pressed together in the back of the dark alley, Zuko with an arm slung protectively around Katara's shoulders. The close quarters was a little much for Katara, she wasn't entirely sure that her fast heart rate was just because of the running. When the street became silent, they relaxed, and Zuko stepped up to the entrance, looking both ways down the street.

"I think they're gone, but since they went right, maybe we should head left." He gestured to the corner opposite of the one the gang had disappeared around. He held out his hand. "Don't worry, we'll get out of this, but we should get moving if we want to beat it out of here."

"Right." She hesitated for a moment, then took his hand and followed him out of the dark alley. It was a bit comforting to be holding his hand and know he was so close beside her. "But, maybe it'd be better at this point to find somewhere to hide until morning. Maybe they'd be less likely to attack in broad daylight?" She looked hopefully at Zuko, but he shook his head.

"No, we should get out of here as soon as we can. I know guys like them. I know what they're after, and it's better to just get out of here fast."

Well, just what is it that they want? Katara was about to ask when a voice shouted out nearby, "Hey guys, I heard voices down this way!" Footsteps pounded on the flagstones of the streets and Katara looked around for a way to escape. There! Off to their right was a small metal door that was cracked open.

"Quick Zuko, in here!" She flung the door open and stumbled down the short flight of stairs that was behind it. The scant moonlight from outside the doors barely illuminated the steps and three large open barrels of some sort of liquid at the bottom. Everything past the barrels was completely dark.

"It looks like someone's cellar," Zuko said, pulling the door shut behind them. As he did, they were plunged into darkness. An instant later, a small but bright fire appeared in his left hand, revealing that they were, in fact in a small cellar. The passageway was only about three feet wide, and the fire from Zuko's hand cast light back to the barrels, showing just the three set up against a brisk wall. The overall floor space of the bottom room was about three feet wide by five feet long, with the row of barrels taking up about of a foot and a half in the back.

Katara went back up to the door, ignoring how mysterious and handsome Zuko looked, his face half-illuminated by the firelight from his hand. She listened as the gang of boys ran past them once again. After a moment, all was silent.

"I think they're gone." She reached down to try the handle, only to find that it wouldn't move. "Oh no, I think the door's stuck!" she turned back to Zuko, who looked just as nervous as she felt.

"Here, let me try." She stepped back from the door and he squeezed past her in the narrow passageway. Katara tried to ignore her pounding heart. What is up with me? She wondered. Just because I don't hate the guy anymore doesn't mean I'm going to fall in love with him or anything. Though, she did have to admire Zuko's concentration and skill, he managed to kick at the door a couple times while keeping the flame in his hand steady so they could see. Finally, he turned and looked back at her. "I can't get it, and I can't tell if it's stuck or locked. Either could be a reason that it was left open."

Katara sighed. "Either way, we're stuck here."


	3. Chapter 3: Confusion & Confession

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters of Zuko, Katara, or Appa, or the bending, or anything else that has to do with the original show Avatar: The Last Airbender. Those are property of…I think Nickelodeon Studios. I only own the plot of the story, and any characters I make up [namely, Ketson and the Fire Hawks].**

**Chapter 3: Confusion & Confession**

"… we're stuck here."

Katara tried the door handle a few more times before putting her back to it and sliding down to sit on the top step. She rested her head against the cold metal and closed her eyes. What I wouldn't give for Toph and her metal bending right now. It just had to be a metal door. If it had been wood, Zuko could have burned it down, or she could have used her water to slice through it like she had once done to escape a wooden prison cell with Toph. But even that wouldn't have worked, she thought. I didn't have time to get my water back after hitting Ketson. I probably don't have much, if any, left.

Suddenly, another thought occurred to her. "I just don't get it!" she exclaimed, jumping back to her feet. "What was their problem? What do they want with me? We weren't doing anything to them, they just had to pop up out of nowhere and–" she turned to Zuko standing by the barrels and immediately stopped her rant. She didn't like the look he was giving her. He seemed to be stuck somewhere between disbelief, amazement, and something else she couldn't quite identify. "What?" she asked warily.

"You really don't get it, do you?" He still had the same look on his face, the one she couldn't quite read clearly. But now there was something more. He was genuinely astonished.

"Get what?" Now his expression changed to something she read all too clearly: Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation was embarrassed. That, more than their predicament with the gang, concerned her. "What's up, Zuko? What are you not telling me?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

"Well, it's just…" He rubbed the back of his neck and looked anywhere around the cellar but at her. "Well…you're a girl," he finished lamely."And that draws attention in a small town like this with a big gang of guys, especially…"

His voice trailed off, but Katara continued to look at him expectantly, her hands still resting on her hips. "Especially what?" she prompted.

"Especially with how you're dressed," he murmured, still not looking at her.

Katara looked down, realizing a little too late that the tight black clothes she had decided to wear when she and Zuko had snuck off were maybe a little too complementing of her slender form. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks, but looked back at Zuko defiantly. At least now she understood what he'd meant when he said he knew what those boys were after.

"There's a reason I noticed the gang so easily. I was looking for it." And now, he was actually looking Katara straight in the eye, his back straight, almost defiant. "You just don't get it, Katara, you're beautiful and strong and confident and clever, and it shows. People notice." He had taken a step closer to where she stood on the middle of the seven steps. Since there wasn't much room to maneuver in the dim cellar, his step forward put him at the bottom of the steps.

She just looked at him, flattered yet startled at his sudden outburst of compliments, but not altogether unpleased either. "And when did you start noticing?" The question was out of her mouth before she could stop it, but she did want an answer.

A look of shock–at me or himself?–crossed his face as he took a step back and leaned back against the barrels. He looked down at his feet and all the confidence he'd had a moment ago was gone. "Well, when…everything…began all those months ago, you were just some little girl who traveled with the Avatar, one more young water bender who would fall before the might of the Fire Nation. But then when you stole the scroll from those pirates and I had you tied to a tree, well, that was the first time I noticed you were kind of…pretty…, and fairly brave for standing up to me of all people to protect Sokka and Aang. When we battled in the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole, I saw how powerful you had become then, and just how strong of a person you were. I could tell you weren't some little girl anymore. Honestly, if the sun hadn't risen when it did, or if your friends had arrived sooner, you probably would have had me trapped in that ice. Then, when we were in Ba Sing Se,…"

Zuko paused, and Katara looked down now as well, remembering how they had talked when Azula had trapped them both in the crystal catacombs beneath the ancient Earth Kingdom capitol during her coup. Katara remembered how she had begun to trust him, how she'd had a glimmer of hope that Zuko could maybe, just maybe, help them. She also remembered the betrayal that had followed and the pain in her heart as she swept over him with her wave to save Aang.

She looked back up as Zuko took a deep breath, and watched him again as he continued, "In Ba Sing Se, I saw how kind of a person you are. You were yelling at me one moment, but then the next, you offered to try and heal my scar with the only bit of spiritual water you possessed. You wanted to help me, who had chased you around the world for weeks on end and who had tried to capture your friend. Even though I sided with Azula and returned to the Fire Nation, I never forgot the look on your face as you made the offer."

He finally stopped and looked up at her once more, his golden eyes practically glowing in the firelight. He stood up straight and stepped closer to her again, looking up at where she stood on the steps. "Even now, as I've been traveling with you guys, I've seen how protective and motherly you are to the others, and how strong you are to be like that after all you guys have been through in the last year. And, despite furious you were, you refused to kill Yon Rha in cold blood, no matter how much he deserved to die. That took a lot of strength and heart."

He paused for another moment, still looking fiercely up at her with the same emotion he'd had before, the one she hadn't been able to identify. Katara felt that she knew what was coming, what he was going to say to her, and what exactly that emotion really was. But she wasn't sure how she would react. So maybe Zuko was handsome, and a lot nicer than he used to be, but…no, there was no 'but' anymore, no more excuses. Zuko was strong and brave and cunning and even kind. He had changed so much and now that she had no excuse to hate him, she had no other reason deny the feelings that had been bubbling inside her since she'd seen him in Ba Sing Se. Despite his betrayal, that was when she'd finally seen that maybe the enemy she had been fighting for so long might just be human after all.

Finally, before Katara could decide how to react to his words, Zuko seemed to draw together all the strength he had and took two quick steps up the stairs, and stopped on the step just under hers so they stood eye-to-eye.

"You're amazing, Katara, and I love you."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Well, there you have it, the love confession. I had fun writing this, because to me this is all they reasons they are perfect for eachother.

More to come soon, I hope.


	4. Chapter 4: Together

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters of Zuko, Katara, or Appa, or the bending, or anything else that has to do with the original show Avatar: The Last Airbender. Those are property of…I think Nickelodeon Studios. I only own the plot of the story, and any characters I make up [namely, Ketson and the Fire Hawks].**

**Chapter 4: Together**

"_You're amazing, Katara, and I love you."_

Time stopped. The roar of the ocean sounded in her ears. Katara hadn't been sure he would actually say it, especially knowing the implications.

That was the first thought that popped into her head, that hadn't even occurred to her within the few seconds prior to his statement. This was Zuko, exiled Prince of the Fire Nation, son of Fire Lord Ozai, brother to Princess Azula, and, if they were to win the war, future Fire Lord.

Her second thought was that she didn't even care.

Her third thought was lost as he kissed her.

It wasn't anything bold or rash. No, he wasn't like that anymore. He was gentle, dropping his fire and slowly wrapping his arms around her waist, willing to stop whenever she wanted him to. They were now lost in the darkness of the cellar. He's just so…warm, she realized as she leaned into him. Katara also realized that she didn't want him to stop. In fact, she responded by flinging her arms around his neck with such unexpected energy that they both fell down the stairs and knocked into the middle of the three barrels. The barrel then toppled on top of them and hit Katara, who was on top, on the shoulder and covered both of them with a foul-smelling, sticky liquid.

"Ugh!" Katara cried out in pain and disgust, leaping to her feet and feeling around in the darkness. She felt Zuko standing beside her. Suddenly she stopped, smelling the air. "It's oil!" she exclaimed.

Zuko found the barrel in the darkness and stood it back up. Then he moved to stand beside her, and she could feel him very close on her right. "It's a good thing you caught that, I almost lit my fire again."

Katara gave a little, nervous, laugh. "Yeah, that would have ended badly. But now, not only are we trapped in here, but we're coated in this stuff. You can't fire bend at all, or we'll both be burnt to a crisp!"

They were both quiet for a moment, contemplating what to do next "Hey, do you think you could bend this stuff?" Zuko finally asked.

Katara slapped herself in the forehead, cursing her stupidity. "Yes, I can bend just about any liquid. Give me a minute, I'll have it all back in the barrel before you can say 'Momo.'"

"No," he said, reaching out for her. His hand found her right shoulder and followed her arm down until he was holding her hand, sending goose bumps across her skin. He rested her hand in both of his, saying, "Get the oil off my arms and hands first, then I can light a small fire. That way, you'll actually be able to see what you're bending."

"Okay." Maneuvering their hands so that she felt both of his in her smaller one, she raised her left hand over them. With a simple wrist movement she sensed, more than felt, the oil rise off of the skin on his hands and arms. She then dropped his hands and used both of hers to guide the oil back into the barrel. "There. That should be all of it off your arms, but I still have oil all over me, and there's still some on your clothes, so hold your hand high."

"Alright." She felt him move away from her and heard him step up a few of the stairs before a new light flared to life above their heads. It was actually a comfort to see his face again, and they smiled at each other before Katara turned around to face the oil that coated the floor and her body.

"Let's see now." She surveyed the small room before making several quick, strong arm movements that gathered the oil from the floor into a snake-like shape, then funneled it back into the barrel. Next, she focused on her clothes, making similar movements to stream the oil off of her and to the barrel. Lastly she turned to face Zuko, who was watching her with an odd look of concentration. She chose to ignore it for now, focusing instead on getting the oil off of him and back to the barrel. "There," she said, wiping a small amount of sweat from her forehead. In the small room with Zuko's fire, it was beginning to get a little hot. "That looks like all of it."

She turned and faced Zuko again, who was looking at the barrel of oil with the same look of concentration on his face, like he was mulling over some sort of idea. Katara cocked her head to one side in curiosity. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

He looked back to her and grinned, then with one small jump, landed floor in front of her. He gave her a quick kiss, then grinned again. "I have a plan!" he said dramatically.

The kiss surprised her, but what surprised her even more was the way he was acting. He was practically giddy. She didn't know if it was the oil fumes or the fact that he'd finally told her he loved her. Or maybe he, like herself, had only now realized that he really did love her. Either way, it was kind of weirding her out. She just looked at him in surprise. "Well, what's the plan?"

Now he seemed to get serious again. "Simple," he said, gesturing to the barrel behind them. "We just need to combine our bending. If you can bend the oil onto the hinges of the door, I think I can use my fire to heat it up enough that the hinges will fall off. Then, we just need to kick the door down and we're out!"

"What about the Fire Hawks?" Katara asked. "They might still be looking for us!"

Zuko nodded. "We'll have to move fast, but I think I remember how to get back to the main street of the town, and from there, to the front gate." He wrapped his left arm around her waist and pulled her closer until their faces were scant inches apart, moving his right hand farther away so as not to burn her hair. "Are you ready?"

She nodded, her face set in determination. "Bring it." He smiled. He's definitely more handsome when he smiles, she thought.

They positioned themselves on the top steps, standing back to back and facing the door. Zuko stood braced with his right fist toward the door, ready to release his Inner Fire. Katara stood with her right hand back toward the barrel of oil, and began moving her hands from right to left, feeling the flow of energy inside her body and using it to guide the oil from the barrel into two separate streams. When she had each of the two hinges on the left side of the door thoroughly soaked with oil, she guided the remnants back to the barrel. Zuko pulled both of his hands inward toward his stomach, and then lunged forward, placing each palm against one of the hinges. When he had each one heated as much as he could, he pulled back and Katara guided the oil back to the hinges, and Zuko then repeated his actions.

In all, they performed this action three times before the hinges began to melt. The fourth time, Zuko shouted in surprise as both of the hinges completely melted from the door and the liquid metal slid to the floor where it solidified and stuck to the flagstones. "That's somewhat surprising," he said, "I expected them to fall off, not melt."

"Well it doesn't really matter," Katara told him. "Just kick the stupid door down!"

Zuko laughed. He understood her anticipation. They were so close to breaking out. He leaned back on his left foot and kicked the door several times around the edges, and threads of moonlight began to show through the cracks. With a final solid kick to the center of the door, it crashed out onto the street, and Zuko and Katara, holding hands once again, weren't far behind.

The pair took off running down the nearest side street, which led them back to the center of the village, in full sight of the main road and, a little ways down it, the main gate that they had entered through so many hours before. A small fountain gushed out water in the middle of the village square. It was about five feet tall with two basins. The top one was about three feet wide with a small statue of Avatar Roku in the middle. Water poured from that basin down five feet to a larger one that was about four feet in diameter and that had a foot-tall wall encompassing it. The almost-full moon shined in the rippling reflections of the lower basin, and Katara paused, remembering that she had lost most of her water to Ketson's face.

"Wait, I need to get more water." She dropped his hand and uncorked her water pouch that hung from her right hip, then streamed some water into her pouch. When she had all that would fit, she guided the rest back to the small fountain and re-corked the pouch.

"Well, well, well, you really are a waterbender." Ketson's dark form emerged from the shadows of a tall building on the other side of the square. "I figured you would end up here eventually."


	5. Chapter 5: Over the Edge

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters of Zuko, Katara, or Appa, or the bending, or anything else that has to do with the original show Avatar: The Last Airbender. Those are property of…I think Nickelodeon Studios. I only own the plot of the story, and any characters I make up [namely, Ketson and the Fire Hawks].**

**Chapter 5: Over the Edge**

_Ketson's dark form emerged from the shadows of a tall building on the other side of the square. "I figured you would end up here eventually."_

"Now I just have one question: what would a lovely little water-sprite like you be doing in a place like this with an ugly scar-face like him?" Ketson smiled malevolently and Katara uncorked her water pouch before a hand grabbed her arm.

"Don't," Zuko whispered in her ear. "He's too confident, he's trying to lure you into attacking. Don't fall for it, you're smarter than that!" She looked at him over her shoulder and saw the worry in his eyes, worry for her. Then movement over his shoulder caught her attention.

"No!" she cried, lashing out around Zuko with a water whip. Two Fire Hawks had tried sneaking around behind them, and she nailed both hard across the face, leaving them sputtering as red welts formed. Her strike triggered pandemonium as Fire Hawks dashed out into the moonlight from all around the square. Besides the two, there had been five other Fire Hawks lurking in the shadows, adding up to eight boys in all, and all wanted to attack at once. They would not allow an attack by a water tribe girl to beat two of their own. But they were well trained by their leader, and waited for their orders.

Zuko pushed Katara towards the fountain. "Brace yourself!" he murmured, moving to the other side to stay between her and Ketson. They would need all the help they could get to beat the eight fire benders. If the others had been there it would have been easy, but it was just him and Katara. She jumped into the fountain and raised her arms to create a half-dozen octopus arms out of the water.

Several Fire Hawks gazed at her in wonder, they hadn't realized they'd be fighting a master water bender. Most of them were still novices themselves. Ketson simply smiled the same cruel smile. He would enjoy this encounter; few of the other guys had ever been much of a challenge in their practices. But before he could have his fun with the girl, he had to take care of the other.

"Shihan and Lee, you're with me, we're gonna have some fun with our fellow fire bender." He sneered at Zuko and began closing in as his two best benders moved to either side of Zuko. "Everybody else,… entertain the lady." Katara glared at him over her shoulder, then turned to face the onslaught of fireballs.

She flung water back and forth, sending out ice sickles and frozen discs as much as water whips and waves. At first, she couldn't do anything but defend herself, there were just too many of them and she didn't have enough water to properly fight with. I have to take them out one by one, she figured, or they'll overpower me. Behind her she heard grunts and shouts from Zuko's battle against Ketson. Suddenly a fireball was coming in from her right, while two thin streams whipped in on her left. She pulled up, creating and freezing a wave to block both attacks. The fire hit and blasted her frozen wave to steam. The fire benders on her left seemed to be the two best of the ones she was facing, and she lashed out at them, creating a whip in each hand and freezing the ends at the last minute. The blocks of ice connected solidly with the center of each of their foreheads, and both boys fell to the ground, unconscious. Two down, three to go, she thought with grim satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Zuko was battling Ketson with everything he had. Zuko was a skilled fire bender and should have been able to defeat Ketson quickly, if not downright easily, but the two lackeys kept getting behind him while he focused on Ketson and it was all he could do to dodge and block their attacks.

Finally, he overwhelmed one of the lackeys, Lee, by waiting until the boy was right behind him. Zuko stood over a puddle of water that had sprayed over from Katara's battle and used it to watch behind him. When hee saw Lee's reflection he pivoted, flinging out his arm as he spun. He connected solidly with the younger boy's face, sending out a jet of fire as he did so. Lee cried out in pain and reeled back, clutching his burnt face and stumbling away. When he gathered his senses enough, Lee bolted for the nearest alley and didn't look back.

Behind his fight, Katara quickly took out two more Fire Hawks at the same time by shooting a log of ice into each of them like a battering ram. They had been inching up to her, throwing fireballs so fast that she could only defend herself. But then, just as they'd gotten to within three feet of the fountain, she blasted the ice logs at them and they flew back to slam into a nearby building and hadn't stirred since.

Zuko held his ground, not only trading blasts with Ketson and Shihan, but also making sure none of their blasts made it past him to Katara. He had a chance with her now, and he refused to allow these thugs to harm her. Unfortunately, Keston figured out what he was doing and started throwing errant shots towards Katara to shake Zuko up. Zuko was also weakening, and hoped Katara could pull enough strength from the moon to finish this fight, because he would be pretty useless in a few more minutes.

Ketson, on the other hand, had made sure Shihan and Lee did most of the fighting. With Lee gone, he had put in a little more effort, but still allowed Shihan first shots at Zuko and mostly stayed out of his way. Both boys were tiring, but Ketson was still fairly fresh. Besides, he had more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Unknown to Zuko and Katara, three more dark figures were hiding in the shadows around the square, waiting for a signal.

The last Fire Hawk was easy for Katara, the ground was coated in water by this point, and even though Katara had almost run the fountain dry, she sprayed a bit more out into the square, soaking the flagstones. She froze the whole sheet over, creating a thin layer of perfectly smooth ice. It wouldn't stay frozen for long in the hot Fire Nation Climate, but the Fire Hawk was incompetent enough that it didn't matter. Seeing that she was about to freeze the water, he had prepared to jump, but only got one foot off the ground. His left foot was frozen to the ground, and when his right foot came down, it slipped and he fell, twisting his knee and landing at an odd angle. He heated the ice and got his foot out, then hobbled off down the same alley that Katara had seen another boy disappear down a few moments before.

Glad to finally be rid of her nuisances, she turned around to join Zuko and, if needed, help him. What she saw caused her to freeze in shock.

Zuko was pinned against one of the buildings of the far side of the square by knives, and stood face-to-face with Keston. Four other fire benders surrounded them, ready to strike at their leader's command. Katara looked up at the nearly-full moon, then back to the fire benders surrounding Zuko. None of them had noticed yet that her fight was done, but she would soon fix that. Zuko was the boy she loved, and she knew what she had to do to protect him. She held out both her arms and braced herself for the fight to come. Ketson held a fire in his left hand and was raising it to the right side of Zuko's face.

"Ketson! Don't. You. Dare."


	6. Chapter 6: The Last Straw

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters of Zuko, Katara, or Appa, or the bending, or anything else that has to do with the original show Avatar: The Last Airbender. Those are property of…I think Nickelodeon Studios. I only own the plot of the story, and any characters I make up [namely, Ketson and the Fire Hawks].**

**Chapter 6: The Last Straw**

"_Ketson! Don't. You. Dare."_

Five Minutes earlier…

While Katara had been finishing off the last Fire Hawk on her side, she had missed the thin stream of fire that Ketson had shot straight up into the night sky. In reaction to the long-awaited signal, the three remaining Fire Hawks leaped out from the shadows and surrounded Zuko. He was now up against five fire benders and had gotten turned around so he was now facing the fountain with his back to a brick wall.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Katara take out two Fire Hawks, which only left one or two more. She had beaten most of hers in the time it had taken him to beat Lee, though Shihan had been slowing down considerably and had taken the defensive shortly before back-up arrived.

Still, as he turned his attention back to his opponents, he knew he was outnumbered. If they'd been alone in a clearing or a desert or an abandoned town, he would have beaten them quicker. As it was, he'd dispensed a lot of energy simply to deflect Keston's attacks on Katara, who was too busy with her own fight to notice the averted onslaught.

At the moment, he was trying to catch his breath and size up the new arrivals. They probably weren't as skilled as Shihan or Ketson, but they were fresh, and Ketson was nearly so since he'd allowed Lee and Shihan to do most of his work. They also hadn't been running on little sleep the past few nights while hunting down an old retired raider. He also knew they wouldn't give him much of a reprieve before attacking, so he tried working out a plan as fast as his tired mind could manage.

Before he could figure anything out, the fire bender nearest him shot out several knives in Zuko's direction. His sluggish reflexes didn't react in time, and the knives stuck in his clothes at the shoulder, elbow, waist, and knee. They pulled him back and pinned him to the wall, imbedding themselves into the brick so he couldn't move.

Ketson stepped forward. His confidence in victory was spelled out on his face, and the cocky smile had returned to his lips. "Well now, not so energetic anymore, are you?" He sneered at Zuko and raised his left hand, forming a small flame in his palm.

Speaking quieter so his lackeys wouldn't hear, he added, "that's quite a nasty scar you've got there, isn't it your highness?" Zuko's eyes narrowed in surprise and suspicion. "Yes, I know who you are. I recognized that scar almost right away. My family lived in the capitol until a year and a half ago, and I know all too well of your betrayal and dishonor. Now I have the magnificent opportunity to give you a new scar to match the other." He raised his hand menacingly toward Zuko's face when suddenly–

"Ketson! Don't. You. Dare." Katara's voice rang clearly through the quiet night.

The smile on Ketson's face faltered and it was Zuko's turn to smile. He knew what was coming. One look over Ketson's shoulder told Zuko that Katara was possibly angrier than when she had faced Yon Rha. That scared him a little; there was no telling what she would do in that state. But he did know one thing: Ketson was going down.

Ketson let the flame in his hand go out and turned toward Katara, allowing the smirk to return to his face. "What's the matter, lovely? Afraid I'll hurt your little boyfriend?

Katara's face was set in a fierce look of determination. When she spoke, it was in a low, dangerous voice. "No. I want you to stop before you make me do something I'll regret later."

He regarded her warily. The very fact that she was talking to him proved she had beaten five of his gang members already. Looking over Katara's shoulder, Keston saw that four of his boys were lying still on the ground, and the last was nowhere to be seen. Despite still being somewhat fresh, he wasn't positive he could beat her. He'd have to try to talk his way out of this one.

Raising his arms innocently, Ketson took a step toward Katara. "What do you see in that guy, anyway? I'm bigger, stronger, and better looking" He pointed back at Zuko, who was still pined to the brick wall with four fire benders keeping guard. "Besides, I bet you don't know him as well as I do, who he really is and how he managed to get that scar."

Katara laughed a short and humorless laugh. It was just their luck to find someone who recognized Zuko. "Oh I know full well who he is and how he got that scar, don't you worry, Ketson. But I don't hold it against him, I know him better than that now." Katara still stood braced to fight. I'll only do it if he makes me, she decided. I don't want to do it, but I will to protect Zuko. "Besides, you may be bigger, but you're not stronger. You only beat him because you're a coward and had your lackeys do all your dirty work. And on top of that, you are so not better looking."

With that, Katara lashed out with the last of the water from the fountain. She wrapped it around Ketson's arms and sent it down his back, freezing his body in place. He stood there for a second, glaring at her, then with a shout and a burst of fire out of each hand he wrenched his arms down to break the ice.

"Fine!" Ketson shouted. "If you won't come with me willingly, I'll just take him out of the picture!"

He pivoted and lunged toward Zuko with one arm stretched out to shoot a blast of fire where the other boy stood pinned. Suddenly, he stopped. He didn't move and the small puff of fire that had started in his hand dispersed. "What's going on?" he shouted, face contorted in a strange mix of fear, anger, and confusion. The remaining Fire Hawks rushed toward him, but none took more than two steps before stopping as well. They weren't frozen in ice, they simply couldn't move their bodies.

Zuko looked up at Katara to see her moving her body in slow, heavily controlled movements. The four Fire Hawks and their leader each followed all of her movements, walking awkwardly until they stood beside Zuko on the wall.

Katara moved over and stood before them, stopping when she was face-to-face with Ketson. "I told you I didn't want to do something I would regret later," she said darkly. "You should know that there is water in every living thing, including, and possibly most importantly, within people. Remember that the next time you threaten a water bending master's boyfriend." All signs of Ketson's earlier bravery and confidence were gone. If Katara's bending hadn't been holding him still, he would have either been cowering in fear or high-tailing it out of there. Zuko, on the other hand, was grinning ear-to-ear.

Next, Katara went and pulled the knives from Zuko's clothes to release him from the wall. He stared at her in wonder. "What was that? I mean, you did something like it when we attacked the Southern Raiders' ship, but I had no clue…," his voice trailed off when he saw her face. She looked like she was about to cry.

"It's called Blood Bending," she told him, tears slipping from her eyes. "And it's something I swore I would never do, that's all you need to know." Finally she couldn't control it any longer. Katara collapsed into Zuko's arms, sobbing. "But I just couldn't lose you, Zuko, not now! We've all already lost so much!" Zuko wasn't quite sure what to do with a crying girl; he hadn't exactly had much experience. He did the only thing he could think of to do, he simply held her for a few moments as she cried, stroking her hair and ignoring the amazed stares of the four Fire Hawks. Ketson refused to look at them.

Finally, Katara regained control of herself. "Come on, we have to get out of here," she said, moving toward the fountain.

Zuko glanced uncertainly at the Fire Hawks, who were still standing in front of the wall. "What about them?" Katara looked back at the other boys, weighing her options.

Well, the younger ones are obviously too scared of me now to do anything, but I will have to do something about Ketson. She quickly made her plan. With a series of quick arm movements from Katara, the four younger gang boys each took two jerky steps forward. "I'm going to let you go now," she spoke to them slowly, as if they were children. "But first, I want you to know that I want you to leave the square immediately and not return until tomorrow morning. By then your buddy back there," – she pointed at Ketson, – "should be completely thawed out."

Another arm movement released them. They fell to their knees and after a quick, frightened look at Katara, they scurried off into the dark and never looked back. Zuko chuckled quietly.

"W-what ab-bout me?" Keston asked, clearly terrified. Katara's Blood Bending only controlled his limbs, he still had full control over his head, face, and unfortunately his mouth as well. Katara simply stood and glared at him. She already knew what she was going to do, of course, but she wanted to drag the moment out just to make him quiver in fear for a little while longer. He deserved it.

"Katara," Zuko finally intervened. He came up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "We have to get going, the sun will rise in a few more hours, and we still have to get back to the others."

Katara sighed. "You're right, it's time for the torture to be over."

She walked back over to the fountain and stood up on the ledge, then pulled all the water left in the square and bended it together with what little water was left in the fountain. She pulled everything into an enormous ball of water over her head, and then pulled Ketson out from the wall. She coated him in the water, leaving his hands, feet, and head all free, knowing that those where the places where he could bend fire out of. She then laid him face-up and spread-eagled on the flagstones on the side of the fountain that faced the front gate, so everyone would see him the next morning.

When she finished, she walked around him once, making sure he was secure. "But what if I freeze in here?" he asked. "You can't leave me like this!"

"I can and I will," Katara replied sternly. "Dawn isn't that far away, and your little friends should be here to get you bright and early in the morning, so long as they aren't afraid to show their faces." With that, she walked over to Zuko and looped her arm through his, drawing him towards the main gate to the village. "Come on, let's get out of here, we can stop at another village tomorrow for supplies."

"Wait." Zuko went back to where Ketson lay to examine him closely. The other boy flinched. After a few brief seconds, Zuko returned to Katara's side, taking her arm once again, "Do you really think I'm better looking?"


	7. Chapter 7: Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Zuko and Katara sat side-by-side on Appa's head as they flew out from the village, having left Ketson and the rest of the Fire Hawks behind them several hours ago. Zuko had his arm around Katara's shoulders and she rested her head on his shoulder while holding the reins to steer Appa back to the island where the others were waiting. They had been gone for nearly three days now and Katara was hoping Sokka wouldn't be too worried. But before they returned, Katara knew that she had one more matter to settle.

"Hey, Zuko?" she looked toward him in the half- darkness, not really sure what she was going to say. The moon had set a long time ago, and the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon on their right.

"Yeah?" Zuko looked back at her, his golden eyes shining in the morning sunlight

"Well, it's just, there's kind of a war going on right now…"

He smiled. "Yeah, I noticed a little while ago, but wasn't sure if you had caught on yet."

She rolled her eyes. "That wasn't what I was getting at. I just mean that I feel like there's too much going on right now for us to…start anything."

Zuko nodded. "I was beginning to think the same thing," he said. Then he looked down and away from Katara, looking out over the water. "Besides, I'm not exactly sure how Sokka's going to react."

Katara broke down laughing, she had been wondering when he would think of that particular little tidbit. "Yes, there is always that, but I'm also a bit worried about Toph. Aang and Sokka are fairly dense and probably won't notice anything so long as we don't mention it, but Toph sees better than most people, for a blind girl. But with everything else, the battle preparations and Aang's training, I think it would be better for us to wait until after Sozin's Comet has come and gone before mentioning this to anyone. That way, maybe we'll both be able to focus better on the upcoming battle and not on each other."

Zuko sighed and leaned back into Appa, placing his hands behind his head. "You're right, of course." They sat in silence for a little while longer simply watching the sunrise over the water, then Zuko said, "Dang it, I'm going to have to face your father after the war too, aren't I?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Well, that's the end. I uploaded the last 3 chapters & the epilogue all in one cuz I kinda forgot about this a lot in the beginning but I had it all written, so I figured why not just put it all up cuz some people were gettin kinda frustrated with me, not that I can blame them.

Wow, that was a really long run-on sentence & I'm kind of ashamed since I'm an English student. I'm still kinda proud of my rambling skillz, tho. Haha

Aaaaannnyyway, I won't waste any more of your time. Even though It's done, review please, & let me know what you liked & didn't like so I can know what to do for my other writing. =]

more of my writing (mostly poetry) can be found at dotpking .word press .com

Peace!


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